The First Lady of the United States Melania Trump on Tuesday participated in a “happiness class” at a Delhi government school and said that she found it “very inspiring”.
“I spent time in a classroom and observed the happiness curriculum that is being followed by the school. It is very inspiring that the students begin each day by practising mindfulness, by reading stories, listening to stories shared by other classmates and connecting with nature, I cannot think of a better way for all of us to start our day,” Ms. Trump said.
The First Lady visited Sarvodaya Co-ed Senior Secondary School at South Moti Bagh which is one of the Delhi government’s model schools.
Ms. Trump, who was accorded a warm welcome by the students of the school, said, “I have learnt that your school’s name “Sarvodaya” means “prosperity for all” and as I walked around, I was able to see how the concept “prosperity for all” is seeped into the curriculum, the leadership of the teachers and the spirit of enthusiasm in the students”.
She added that the school exemplifies that promoting values of kindness, compassion and respect can bring about positive change within the communities and thanked all the educators at the school for providing a promising future for the students. Ms. Trump also advised the students that learning is valuable but being good to each other is also very important
Apart from the happiness class, Ms. Trump spent time reading with primary students and watched a yoga class where the students performed Surya Namaskar.
Radhika, a Class VI student at the happiness class attended by Ms. Trump, said the class had mediated together for five minutes and then discussed the concept of gratitude. “We all had chits of paper and we wrote on it who we felt gratitude towards. We then stuck the chit on a gratitude wall. I wrote that I felt gratitude towards by teachers while Ms. Trump wrote that she feels gratitude towards her family and friends,” Radhika said.
A school band from AGDAV Model Town that played the bagpipes welcomed the First lady while students from the primary section of the school showered her with petals. The students of the schools put up a cultural show as well for the first lady that included a Rajasthani folk dance to the song Padharo Mare Desh and a highly energetic Punjabi Gidda that had the students in the audience join in. The First Lady walked into the audience and interacted with them and even gave a girl a warm embrace.
The happiness curriculum was introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party government in 2018. Although Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Education Minister Manish Sisodia were not a part of the event , they tweeted their excitement.
“@FLOTUS will attend happiness class in our school today. Great day for our teachers, students and Delhiites. For centuries, India has taught spirituality to the world. Am happy that she will take back the msg of happiness from our school,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
“Welcome to our school @FLOTUS! We hope you would have a great time here in #HappinessClass It’s just 18 months old initiative but early results have made us confident that @HappinessDelhi is the ultimate solution to all violence & hate in mindsets that we are facing worldwide,” tweeted Mr. Sisodia.
Published - February 25, 2020 02:52 pm IST
